


a long time coming

by GreyishBlue



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Accidental Tattoos, Everyone Lives in the Tower and Nothing Bad Has Happened Ever, Fluff, Getting Together, Kissing, M/M, dumb boys can't talk about their feelings unless basically held down
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-18 23:30:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20321320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyishBlue/pseuds/GreyishBlue
Summary: Clint's got a crush, Bucky doesn't know, until of course Clint has to do something that he can't really hide..Winterhawk Bingo Square: Obliviousness





	a long time coming

Clint... thinks he might have done something at least halfway stupid. He’d been crawling around in the vents, as one does. And then maybe listening in on conversations, as one shouldn’t do. But when the soft rumble of one Bucky Barnes drifted up to him, he couldn’t help himself. He just wanted to know what could have that pretty formerly-brainwashed brunette so pouty. Turns out, Bucky was partially through a rant about hating the red star emblazoned on his metal arm. Something about how it felt like a brand of ownership that he wanted gone. Clint, with the occasional blue tinted dreams haunting him, felt like he could sympathize. 

This, naturally (for him, anyway), led to Clint getting inadvisably drunk and waking up with his own red star tattooed on his left shoulder. Not being entirely sure about the thought process that led to it had Clint concerned, but what could he do. He did his best over the next few days to keep it covered to not creep Bucky out. Of course, Clint being Clint, clothing didn’t particularly enjoy cooperating with his desires. As he ran through the obstacle course Tony had set up, shooting arrows at targets in whip-quick fashion, his shirt snagged, ripped, and just gave up entirely on being a shirt.

“What the fuck is that, Barton?” came Bucky’s voice from where he had been lurking, watching the performance Clint was putting on. 

Clint managed to smack himself in the shin with his bow as he spun around with wide eyes to face Bucky. “Fuck! Shit, ow. Uh. It’s nothing?” The feeble attempt to cover the still healing ink on his shoulder failed utterly. The growl rumbling out of Bucky’s chest did absolutely nothing to help Clint’s coordination, and all he could do while Bucky stalked toward him was stare. 

Bucky’s hand shot out, firmly gripped Clint’s arm and pulled him close to glare at the offending mark. Clint did his level best not to blush at the proximity of their bodies, he failed entirely. He tried to keep himself from staring at the definitely world-class assassin that seemed to be waffling between anger and confusion and maybe like three other emotions Clint didn’t know how to classify. He failed that too, his eyes locked on the curve of Bucky’s jaw as the other man set it stubbornly.

“Is this some kind of stupid prank? You makin’ fun of me, Barton?” Bucky definitely sounded angry but the way his eyes wouldn’t quite meet Clint’s made it seem like there was some hurt there as well. Clint couldn’t let that stand, and he discarded all the excuses he had come up with to hide the truth.

“No I uh. I wanted to support you, Barnes.” Clint mumbled as he reached new levels of dying inside. Now Bucky would definitely think he was a weirdo, and this stupid crush Clint was nursing was going to burn up in eight kinds of flames. Clint tried to fidget his way out of the metal grip on his arm, but Bucky wasn’t letting up at all. He seemed to be having some kind of war with himself, all sorts of feelings Clint didn’t know how to name were flitting across his face. 

“You..” Bucky trailed off, and finally lifted his eyes to meet Clint’s own, “.. did this for me?” The question seemed simple enough, but the way Bucky was searching Clint’s face for answers was unsettlingly intense. Clint chewed on his lower lip nervously, and when Bucky’s slate-blue eyes zeroed in on the motion he knew he was screwed here. He couldn’t lie to the guy, even if the answer would probably get him punched, or ignored forever at best. 

“You’re just.. I wanted you to feel like you’re part of this? Part of us. The Avengers. You know like. Um, one of the team!” Clint knew he was babbling a little, but stopping seemed entirely out of his wheelhouse, until Bucky put a finger against his lips.

“Barton. That doesn’t explain why you would get.. I don’t know, a tattoo matching mine? Isn’t that a thing people do when they like each other?” 

“...yeah okay um. Maybe it was more personal, but look don’t be offended it’s just a stupid crush and I was drunk when I got it. I mean I don’t regret it, but I won’t bother you or anything. I’m sorry.” Clint felt ready to slink out, but Bucky still had him held in place, and the look on his face was decidedly less murdery than Clint had been anticipating. 

“Let me get this straight. You have a crush on me and instead of just telling me, you got drunk and got a tattoo to try to be supportive?” The wry grin on Bucky’s mouth was doing things to Clint that were very inconvenient right now, in the middle of trying to hold a rather delicate conversation. Clint sighed deeply and closed his eyes against the onslaught of really pretty guy in front of him.

“That’s the gist of it, yeah, Buck.”

“Oh.” The sound barely made it out of Bucky’s mouth, just a little gasp of air. Bucky finally let go of his arm and Clint started to pull away, ready to slink off to somewhere closed off and dark to deal with his stupid feelings. Then Bucky’s fingers were caressing his jaw, metal on one side and flesh on the other, and Clint’s eyes flew open a moment before Bucky was kissing him. Just a soft brush of lips, but it felt electric and Clint couldn’t help the small sound he made. The gentle kiss turned heated quickly, teeth nipping at lips and tongues exploring. 

Clint wasn’t sure how much time had passed when they broke apart, both panting for air they had been denying themselves. “So.. I’m not in trouble?” He grinned, goofy and hopeful, eyes locked onto Bucky’s kiss swollen lips. Bucky’s answering grin was like the sun, almost too bright and definitely warming Clint right down to his toes. 

“Only if you stop kissing me, Barton” 

“You’ve gotta start calling me Clint.”

“Yeah, deal.” Bucky leaned back in to claim Clint’s mouth again.

Clint figured this was not, after all, that stupid of a decision.


End file.
